Bright and bubbly carols from Bublé

BUBLÉ. Knack for tuneful reinvention.

Michael Bublé and Mariah Carey are innovative vocalists who can refashion a well-loved hit song to suit their respective styles. But, it’s hard to imagine the two recording artists singing each other’s tunes – and improving on them. However, in his hit Yuletide collection, “Christmas,” the Canadian crooner accomplishes exactly that.

We’ve never been fond of Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” even when the five-octave diva revived the dance ditty with Justin Bieber in the teen heartthrob’s No. 1 Christmas album. But, by slowing down its groove-heavy tempo, Bublé turns the track into a sleek and sophisticated love song that drips with melancholy and longing – a sparkling testament to the singer’s knack for tuneful reinvention.

As easily as he segues from one key to another, Bublé conveniently adapts to genres as disparate as country (“White Christmas,” which he shares with a yodeling Shania Twain), gospel (“Ave Maria”), Motown (“Christmas, Baby Please Come Home”), blues (“Blue Christmas,” which sends up Elvis Presley) and Latin music, represented by a medley of “Mis Deseos” and “Feliz Navidad,” with Mexican singer/actress, Thalia – with whom Michael surprisingly doesn’t have much chemistry.

Fresh and inventive

The 36-year-old singer knows how to keep his renditions fresh and inventive: If you grew up listening to Madonna’s playfully naughty “Santa Baby,” the ditty finds its male counterpart in Bublé’s sexy but sweet revival.

Another notable tune is his novel remake of “Jingle Bells,” with the Puppini Sisters, who resurrect the glorious harmonies and the winking girly swagger of the Andrews Sisters. And, if you want light and bright carols that channel his soaring 2003 cover of “Let It Snow,” you’ll be similarly pleased with his take on Meredith Willson’s “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas,” and the buoyant “Holly Jolly Christmas.”

The crooner’s songs don’t just benefit from his Crosby/Sinatra-caliber vocal chops: Like Patti Austin, Bublé also knows how to “connect” with his audience.

So, when he renders the warm melodies of self-penned ballads like “Cold December Night,” one of the album’s best tracks, you know that the solid notes don’t just come from his diaphragm – they’re straight from the heart!